We always thought Toejam and Earl were a Sega property, but somewhere along the road they must've slipped through Sega's fingers - along with other things like sanity and knowing how to make good stuff properly (note to selves: must stop bashing Sega - nobody actually cares anymore).

Obviously we got that wrong, as the game's original designer, Greg Johnson, has now prostrated himself on Kickstarter to beg for your pennies to fund a brand new game starring the Fresh Prince-style alien duo.

Despite disappointing sequels, there's clearly still a hunger for new Toejam & Earl products: having been up barely 24 hours, the campaign for Toejam & Earl: Back in the Groove is almost a quarter of the way to its $400,000 goal.

Speaking on the traditional Kickstarter begging video, Johnson promises that the new game will be faithful to the original, much-loved, Mega Drive classic - rather than subsequent instalments, which (at the interference of publishers, according to Johnson) deviated from the original template to ill effect.

Back in the Groove is intended to be a "true sequel". It'll feature 2D sprites on 3D, randomly-generated backdrops (in an aesthetic that is described as "1990s underground comic book style"). With four-player online co-op, it's aiming for a multi-format release, though - should the campaign be a success - it'll land on PC first.

We always had a bit of a soft spot for the original TJ & E Mega Drive game - it was painfully slow to play, but the humour (as the titular duo explored an earth populated by the seemingly insane) waggled its tongue against the viscous membrane of our funny valve.

Still... given recent issues with certain Kickstarter-funded games, let's hope that $400,000 goal is enough to result in a completed product.